At least, that was the determination of Terri Diener, a pet communicator in Mount Washington who says she had a telepathic chat with the 7-year-old feline. She also was able to suss out that he had previously announced this decision by urinating all over owner Nancy Fox's Linthicum house.

"I was kind of concerned, because letting animals outside is a little dangerous," says Fox, who sought out Diener's help. She pays the animal communicator $60 for a 30-minute session. "But she told him to stay away from cars and off the street."

Diener's work isn't recognized by many mainstream veterinarians. There's no professional association, and no regulatory agency conducts follow-ups with the animals to verify the accuracy of the findings. Yet there are hundreds of animal communicators like her across the country, as well as books, websites, blogs, workshops and courses.

The idea was novel a decade ago, when Animal Planet brought forth its series "The Pet Psychic." Now, practitioners and others say, animal communicators are increasingly common and visible. Just last month, on the Web series #CandidlyNicole, a pet psychic informed Nicole Richie that she and her dog, Iro, had been married in another life.

"I see my job as a clear interpreter for people and animals," Diener says, explaining that animals communicate in images. "They want to be seen and heard as much as we do."

Diener herself was converted after a positive experience with an animal communicator. When Diener's 15-year-old cat was leaving deposits outside the litter box, Philadelphia animal communicator Marlene Sandler told her that it was because he was allergic to Diener's new shampoo. Out went the shampoo — and the litterbox problems. Diener decided to take two workshops led by Sandler. Since then, she has written and self-published a book, "The Pets Speak," and teaches animal communication at the Community College of Baltimore County in Owings Mills.

Diener and other communicators find that animals (including dogs, cats, birds, lizards, horses and even fish) have strong opinions on diet, on territory, even on their names.

Carmine, a cat belonging to Kim Kaleta-Klein of Westminster, was constantly running away.

"This cat, to save my life, would never come to me. I'd call his name, and he'd just run away," Kaleta-Klein says.

She turned to Diener, who sat with Carmine and had a heart-to-heart. The problem? Carmine — named for Kaleta-Klein's favorite Italian restaurant — was not Carmine at all. He disliked the name.

Since changing his name, his owner says, Sam has become "the most responsive cat I've ever had."

No words need to be spoken to communicate with animals, Diener says. She sometimes meets with the animal and its owner at their home, but she also works over the phone. Clients from across the country send her photos of their animals and explain their problems.

"I have the people on the phone and I have a photo of the animal. I have the owners tune into the animal. It's all telepathic. It's like finding the telepathy highway in the atmosphere," Diener says. "The interaction is so internal. You don't have to vocalize words for the animal to get the thought."

The "telepathy highway" heads through the afterlife, too.

Fox was heartbroken three years ago by the death of her boxer, Sasha. So when she and her husband, Bob Fox Sr., adopted a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy, she had a request for Diener.

"When Terri talked to the puppy, she asked if Sasha can come in and be part of her being," Fox says. "Abby Rose has all the aspects of Sasha."

If you have a tough time believing this, you're not alone.

Skeptical experts say that, as is the case with psychics, the problem with animal communication is it cannot or has not been proved or disproved. There aren't scientific studies or statistics.

"With animal communicators, it's dicey," says Joe Nickell, a paranormal investigator and senior research fellow for Skeptical Inquirer magazine, which investigates psychic claims. "Let's say there's basically two kinds of pet communicators. There are those who really believe they can do this. Then there are those who are aware they can't, but they are pretending."

In his writings on the subject, Nickell says pet psychics employ the same "cold reading" techniques that fortunetellers use to gather information from a source "while giving the impression it is obtained mystically." These include stating obvious facts, asking questions and making safe or vague statements.

By comparison, animal behaviorists say, communication with animals is accomplished through observation and empathy, not telepathy or psychic abilities.

They observe behaviors and signals, then interpret that information based on science. Understanding and recognizing body language and then rewarding for desired behaviors are key to communicating with animals.

"It's through a mountain of science-based study, not from a gut reaction or personal perception," says Michael Shikashio, president of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. "If someone claims to whisper or have psychic connections with animals, ask where they received their formal education and if their methodology is based in science."

Many conventional veterinarians shy away from using animal communication (at least telepathically). Consulted for this article, the Maryland Veterinary Medical Association declined to comment because no one in the organization was knowledgeable enough about the subject.

Dr. John Slaughter, a veterinarian with Camden-Inner Harbor Veterinary Services, says he finds pet communication amusing. He doesn't have back-and-forth conversations with animals, he says, but he can glean information from behavior and by talking to pet owners. Some of his clients have used animal communicators and felt their money was well spent, he says.

"Will it be something that I, as a veterinarian, would put my license on the line for? No. But it could be quite entertaining and possibly informative," Slaughter says. "I don't think the jury is in, whether an animal can communicate that way. I think it's becoming more popular because people are saying 'Is this bogus or is this real?' "

Hampstead animal communicator Diane Carlson says she sometimes tries to prove her legitimacy to new clients by asking animals to show or tell her something only their owners would know.

"Ninety-eight percent of the time, it proved to be right," Carlson says. And most of the time, Carlson says, she is right in discovering what might be bothering the animal. Carlson says she can figure out why an animal is sick or unhappy by sharing mental images.

Recently, Carlson says she helped a horse win a blue ribbon by adjusting the animal's diet.

While Chambreau can observe symptoms and behaviors, sometimes an animal communicator can pinpoint an underlying problem that might not be apparent, she says. Chambreau often consults with pet owners, veterinarians, behaviorists and animal communicators, as well as assessing symptoms to determine what might be bothering an animal.

"I recommend everybody learn to do it themselves and work with someone who has the skills in it and the expertise. You need to know what your animal is saying to you," says Chambreau. "Working with animal communicators is a rapidly growing area, as people wish to be more in touch with their animals."

Jackson Galaxy, a cat behaviorist and host of Animal Planet's "My Cat from Hell," believes many people have empathetic connections with animals, but pet owners should be wary of any quick fix.

"There is no magic bullet. You are responsible for your relationship with your pet," says Galaxy. "I don't want to short-circuit the process. There's a process involved. I just think you need to pay more attention to who these people are before offering to pay for their services."

Here's a collection of a few of the dogs, cats and other critters in the Baltimore area who need homes. Be sure to check with the shelter before you go to verify that the animal you want is still there.

Read about local pets, or share your own story. We're interested in cats and dogs, but also hamsters, hedgehogs, turtles, horses, chickens -- the whole pet gamut. For more information, email pets@baltsun.com and be sure to put "Collared" in the subject line.

August can seem to languish, but the dog days are really long for homeless pets who've been laying around shelters for a long time. To help those pooches find their forever homes, the Maryland SPCA has reduced or waived adoption fees for its long-timers.